


Best Friends

by bosniandeadpool



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Best Friends, Falling In Love, Football, Football | Soccer, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gay, High School, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Jocks, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Unrequited Love, not finished
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2018-12-25 16:12:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12039537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bosniandeadpool/pseuds/bosniandeadpool
Summary: Friends to lovers.Corey and Aaron suffer the normal problems of teenage boys in high school.  Trying to keep up a good performance on the football field and passing their classes while having family problems at home.They always end up finding comfort in each other. But when Corey ends up in a relationship with a girl that steals away all of his time with Aaron. Aaron finds comfort in Ethan. A bit too much comfort that Corey doesn't approve of and with time he finds out why.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Aaron's POV

"You're late!"

"Sorry. I couldn't come here any sooner."

I rolled my eyes, knowing exactly who Corey chosed over me.

After years of having a crush on a cheerleader, Corey had finally won her over and had since spend every moment with her. To not make her sound any special or anything. She isn't actually hard to get, it's just that Corey is far to shy to approach a girl. He had waited for years for her to notice him. Which is plain stupid since he's the quarterback and coach Walker's son. Who happens to be the best player that the school ever had. And she does know that and she knows Corey. Maybe as long as I do. Our town is small and we have been living in the same street since we were kids.

And still, he's sure that she just discovered him. Even though she had a crush on me since middle school and he was always on my side. Sometimes he's just too oblivious for his own good. That's why he doesn't get that he is just her plan b after our schools wannabe Harry Styles, that happens to be with Mrs. Bell's daughter to improve his math grade.

"You could've come with me. You promised me that you will come to one of my football matches months ago."

"I'm not exactly into soccer."

I huffed.

"You were. But than you started to date Harry Style's better half. And now you don't have time for your best friend."

He stopped the car at a random diner and turned to me. Ready to defend her fake ass.

"Aaron. You know I've been in love with her for such a long time. And now that we're finally together you have to go all negative on me."

I don't have anything to say to that. Everyone has this friend that is too stupid to state the obvious. And we've talked about it far to much by now, that I just don't care. It's just the aftermath of me having to wait for 40 minutes for my best friend to pick me up.

"You made me wait 40 minutes."

Corey turns to me when he says the next which doesn't makes me hate him any less today.

"Why haven't you called your dad to get you?"

Now there are about hundert reasons why I didn't do it and he knows it. The most prominent one being me not having a driving licence. Still. He knows I'm scared and that my dad pushes me to do it and he refuses to believe my anxiety. Corey knows that I'm sensitive in that part and that I can't help to be scared of driving. It's a normal thing. And what hurts me the most is that he knows how my dad reacts to that topic and he would still let me face it. So that's why I left the car and turned my back on him, than I heard him close the door behind him and walk to me. I took my phone out and dialled dad's number. I heard Corey apologizing to me and offer to pay dinner, which sounded tempting but his offer was followed with another thoughtless sentence.

"But we need to eat it in the car while I drive you home. I promised Alex that it I will be back in an hour."

I turned back to him just to tell him to fuck off when my dad finally answered the phone.

"Dad can you get me. I'm stuck at the diner near the soccer pitch."

Dad agreed and told me that he will be there in 10.

Corey just stared at me. Baffled that I really did it. So was I. But I'm just too sick to be treated like that by my best friend. So I told him not to bother and that I'll see him tomorrow at school. I went back into the diner and got myself dinner. Back outside I saw him drive off and I felt bad. But it wasn't my fault.

It was the first time in 15 years that we had a fight. Just because of a girl that doesn't even care for him.

Dad seemed to notice that I was hurt so the drive home was silent.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matthew Noszka as Aaron  
> Chris Zylka as Corey  
> Lucy Hale as Alex  
> And the Dolan twins as themselves

Corey's POV

I felt so guilty for my past behavior towards Aaron. We've been best friends for years and we never ended up in a fight like this. I tried to call him the whole night after Alex fell asleep but he never answered my calls. I asked Alex to take a ride with her friend so I could go and get him before school. I wanted to make it better. I don't want to lose the one person that was always by my side.

It was seven am when I woke up. Alex was still sleeping curled up near the wall. She wears one of my old shirts that is far to big for her but it still covers nothing, it slides up when she sleeps. She is one of those that kick you in the night and move around like crazy, which makes it hard for me to fall asleep.

I covered her with a blanket and made my way to the bathroom. I then continued with my morning routine of showering, brushing my teeth and putting on some clothes. I pretty much have only basic shirts and dark jeans in my closet, i paired it up with some white shoes and my latterman jacket.

At the beginning of the year we got our new gear if we payed 500 dollars. It was a lot, espesially since no one in our city was wealthy but the stuff we got was nice and most of the players had a summer job to be able to effort it. This 'gear package' included two letterman jackets with our names on it. And most of the team members ware one and gave the other to their girlfriends, which was expected of me by Alex as well. But I had to give my other one to Aaron since he wasn't able to effort the package. He was ashamed and wanted to leave the team but I couldn't let that happen, not only because he was my best friend but he also was the best running back in our region. Since then I was sharing my gear with him even though I was upset to hear that he paid even more money for the soccer gear in his club. I will never understand why he even plays football if he's into soccer so much.

After getting ready I made my way down to kitchen to see my two brothers Kyle and Scott sitting at the table in our kitchen. My mom smiled at me and placed a tray of food on the table. I sat down ignoring my older brothers that I've never been good with and dig into the food.

"Of all the girls out there you go on and date one that I've fucked", I hear Kyle say but I try to ignore him. I hear mom telling him to clean his mouth and stop using those words while Scott was just snickering next to him.

"How is Aaron?"

I lift my head to Scott who looks at me expectantly. I reply a silent 'okay' and stand up. I took the tray to my mom and placed it on the kitchen counter. I kissed her goodbye and go outside to my car to drive to Aaron's.

I wasn't to fond of my family. I loved my mom because she cared for us in a lovely way. My dad was only interessted in football and getting all of his sons in the NFL. So he supported all of us if it's about football but other than that he left the parenting to my mom. Scott and Kyle are twins and really close, they never cared for me or treated me like their small brother. They liked Aaron more than me. Always had. 

I parked on the street across from Aaron's house and texted him to come out. But I got no answer. After 5 more minutes without any sign of him I go out of the car and crossed the street to his house. I go through the small gab between the houses into the back garden and enter the house through the backdoor. I mumble a quick 'good morning' to his family and run up the stairs. It's nothing new for them to see me make a random appearance.

I go into the second room and see him still asleep in his bed. He always covers himself fully while sleeping. I could only see his face looking out from his blanket cave. Knowing that he hates mornings I always wake him up carefully. Usually I would caress his face or cuddle him. So I go closer to his bed and kneel in front of his face. He loves sleeping that's why he looks so comfortable and happy.

Aaron is the prettiest boy that I know. I have told him so about hundred times and I've always wondered how he has gone eighteen years without a girlfriend. He has those beautiful blue-green eyes, shadowed by sinful long lashes. Lovely plumb lips and the most beautiful smile. Not to mention his sculptured body. But he never showed interest for anyone. Not a girl, not a boy, no one.

I raise my hand and caress his cheek with my finger while whispering his name. I continue to do so till I see a small smile forming on his face.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty." I whisper to him.

He opens his eyes and his smile falters. I guess he is not happy to see me.

He shots up into a sitting position. Still not fully awake but aware of me.

"What are you doing here?", he asks me while still fighting his tiredness. He loses and plops back down on his back.

"I'm sorry about yesterday, Aaron."

Aaron turns his face to me and looks at me as if to say 'piss of mate'. I know I messed up, because it wasn't the first time that I made him wait or have cancelled something we wanted to do because of Alex. But that's how it is when you have a girlfriend. I can't spend all my time with him. He needs to get used to it.

He blocks my apologies though, like always. The only way to make him forgive me is to bring a smile to his face. So I join him on the bed, lay myself sideways and push my hand inside of his shirt to tickle his stomach. I watch his face to see if he will present one of his flashing smiles but he is going strong today. He desperately tries to stay serious so I use my best weapon. I drag the tip of my nose over his neck and watch him squirm away from me. His soft spot is definitely his neck. I continue to tickle his stomach and his sides but this time with both hands while I crawl on top of him. He starts to laugh uncontrollably and begs for mercy. I stop my attack to look down on his flushed face and his bright smile.

"Apologie accepted?"

He nods.

I release a sigh and drop down on him while snuggling my face on the side of his neck. Aaron closes his arms around me and pushes the blanket over us.

"We missed the first period, didn't we?", he asks me.

I push myself up to take out my phone from my back pocket, to see that he was right. I nod and go back to my former position.

"Your dad will kick us out of the team if we miss the rest of the day Corey."

"Maybe. But I couldn't sleep last night. You didn't answer my calls and Alex kicked me out of the bed for at least four times."

Aaron giggles close to my ear and I feel goosebumps attacking my skin. It feels good to be close to him.

"And you used to be annoyed because I always cover myself completely while sleeping. I'm not bothering you at least.", he says sounding amused.

"And you are so cuddly." I mumble while pressing a light kiss on his neck.

Aaron presses one back on my neck before I feel him pulling away to get ready for school. I stay in bed till he gets ready and we drive to school.

The rest of the day goes by quickly as always. Until we have football practise.

My dad has already told me that we have two new students and that one of them was a quarterback in his old school. Which means I have competition and if I fail my dad will probably abandon me. So I wasn't really happy for the new addition.

They turned out to be twins and they are good. Especially Ethan who is playing on my position. I'm so fucked.


	3. Chapter 3

Corey's POV

 

"Have you seen how the new boy throws the ball?"

I could hear Aaron behind me while I go down the hall to get to my locker. After the first practice with my new 'rival', I felt devastated. He was clearly better than me and it's just a matter of time till he takes over my position. So I ignore Aaron when I arrive at my locker.

He continues to hype about the 'wonder boy' while I take out the books I need for an assignment. I close the locker and lean on it, closing my eyes and blocking out his rambling.

This day costs me all my power that I usually use for an entire week. There is Alex that always wants to have me around, Aaron who wants my attention as well. My father that pushes me to get better and the lack of sleep from last night. I'm always under pressure because everyone wants something of me. It's been like that for as far as I remember and sometimes I wish I could just vanish or stop caring. I just want to see how everyone will take it when I show them who I really am and what I really want. But I'm a fucking coward.

"Yeah, he is pretty good", I answer his question.

He stops his rambling after I answered him. I can feel him staring at me because I know that by now he has figured out that I'm not taking the news lightly.

"Hey, are you alright?", he asks me while I feel his fingers reaching out for my arm. He traces soft patterns up and down, till he lets his hand rest on my shoulder soothingly. We both include touching and closeness when we comfort each other.

I nod and open my eyes to see doubt in his green ones. He was about to ask me more questions but I'm to drained of energy and control to discuss this matter now.

"Can you come over later? I don't want to discuss this here."

He agrees and pulls me into a much needed hug and I cling to the comfort it gives me.

"Alex asked me to drive her to a friend, she is probably waiting outside. I see you later, okay? You can come over for dinner but be warned my mom is on some vegetarian diet and we all have to take a part in it." I tell him and he smiles at my warning before we part to move to different directions.

I go to my car to see Alex waiting, her phone as always glued to her hand. I move closer to her and drop kisses on her hair and face but she never stops her focus on that stupid phone. So I back away and walk over to the driving side. She silently enters the car when I start it. An uncomfortable silence takes over while I drive. She occasionally just tells me in which direction I have to drive and that's it. Alex doesn't ask me about my day or why I feel so down. It seems as if she doesn't care.

When we arrive, she just kisses my cheek and walks out. What a lucky boyfriend I am...

I watch her walk inside the house and drive home.

♥♥♥

I finished to shower and now lay on my bed, ready to sleep when I hear a soft knock on my door. I look up to see Aaron already making his way to the bed to lay down next to me, so I move to give him some space. We lay there in silence, both looking at the ceiling. And somehow I already feel better.

"So, what is bothering you Cor?", he finally asks me the question that probably ate at him for the entire day.

I close my eyes, feeling braver that way before I start to open up about my concerns.

"Ethan is better than me. And it fücking scares me, Aaron. What if he takes over my position. Dad would kill me! I would be the first son failing at his dream. I'm already giving my everything into this game. I can't get better but when I don't, he will eat me alive."

I open my eyes again, uncertain on how he will take my moaning. I already feel weak and dumb for confessing to him but I can't find any judging in his eyes.

He changed his position, now Aaron lays sideways with his head leaning on his hand. Aaron continues to watch me while summering up an answer in his head.

"You're always far to worried about things that don't matter and aren't true", he answers while lightly slapping the tip of his hand on my forehead. And his actions and words make me even more insecure so I try to sit up and somehow run away from the feelings and the embarrassment but he pushes me back down and holds me there with a hand to my chest.

"He is good", he than continues.

"But he is not better than you, Cor. You are the best quarterback I've ever played with and you are the reason why we always win the regional championships."

It makes me feel better to know that even if everyone ends up to see me as a failure that I will still have my best friend next to me. So I smile at him and lay one of my hands over his. He smiles back and lays his head on my chest while closing his arms around me.

"Nap time", he says and we both close our eyes to get some much needed sleep. 

♥♥♥

I wake up from an upcoming phone call. Alex wants me to pick her up from her friend's house. So I lightly push Aaron off of my chest and cover him up with a blanket. I stay there sitting on the edge of my bed to gain back focus from the long nap. Aaron stirs next to me and changes his position. He drags the blanket over his head and leans unconsciously closer to me. I turn sideways to have a better look at him. Just as always when he sleeps he covers himself completely and I can only see his face. I caress his cheek with the back of my hand before I move it on his back to rub him lightly in circling motions. He smiles in his sleep and I can't help but return it. I continue to stroke up and down his back till I hear the sound of a received message on my phone. It's Alex impatiently asking me if I'm already on my way there, so I stand up and go to the bathroom to wash my face. I take a last glance at Aaron who is still asleep before taking a random jacket and racing down the stairs.

On my way out I could hear mom telling everyone that dinner will be ready in fifteen. I took out my phone to see that it is 7 pm. So I had at least three hours of sleep which doesn't really change anything about my mood. I start the car while I take in a long breath. I can't wait for this day to end.

I arrive at her friend's house in ten minutes and write Alex to come out. But she needs time as always and I'm already waiting for twenty minutes. I try to keep my cool but it's not her first time to let me wait so long and I feel like a fool. So I honk till I see her walking out of the house and raging to my car. Her face already tells me that I'm in trouble but I ignore it and drive off the moment that she closes the door.

"What is your problem?", she asks while putting on her seatbelt.

I just ignore her while driving down the streets to her house. My day was horrible and I know that it's not exactly her fault but she doesn't make it better with her bitching. So I stay quiet and after the third question and some insults later she shuts up and looks down on her phone. When we arrive I wait for her to go, desperate to just get home myself, eat something and go back to bed with Aaron. But she has to destroy it.

"Why don't you take me to yours?", she asks.

"Because I don't want to", I reply still trying to stay calm.

"If you treat me one more time like this, we are done!"

It hurts to hear something like this from a person you love and I don't even want to be mean to her. But it seems like she doesn't even care for me. She just tries to keep up appearance in front of everyone but when we are alone it's like I'm spending time with a stranger.

She stays in the car knowing that every time I do shit that I apologize. but not this time.

"We will talk tomorrow", I tell her.

I hear her mumble a 'whatever' and close the door loudly.

I'm so done with this day.

I drive back home and ignore the voices in the kitchen while running up the stairs.

I remove my clothes and lay down on my bed. Just when I feel my tiredness taking over I hear someone coming inside my room. Not ready for another argument if that person happens to be one of my brothers or my dad. So I face the wall.

But as soon as that person stands next to my bed I smell the expensive perfume of my best friend.

"Aaron, I don't want to talk."

"You don't have to.", he tells me. I turn around to see him taking off his clothes and lay beside me. I turn back to the wall and feel him throw his arm over my waist. He moves closer until I feel his naked chest on my back.

"You need sleep. We will talk tomorrow after I make you your favorite breakfast. Okay?", he asks and I nod.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i kind of hate this chapter. but anyways, enjoy it and thank you soo so much for reading my story and especially thank you for the comments, they help me soo much.

Aaron's POV

We didn't end up talking about what happened that night. I made banana pancakes for him the next morning and had to leave and get some stuff for my dad. A week is over since then and everything seems to be back to normal with Corey and Alex.

Which means I only see him when we have football practice and during lunch. I used to spend every second of my free time with him. We even slept at each others house every other day. I guess it's over with the sleepover now.

We had our game today and as the tradition says we all meet up. WE WON AGAIN!

But how do you celebrate without the quarterback? Well, we are used to it by now since Alex steals him away from us every time.

This time we decided to just get some drinks and order food and have a boys night on the bleachers.

While we all get along on the football team, we still usually just sit in groups of people that we see as 'friends' and not just as team members.

Me and Corey have a group of five that we know since kindergarten and see as good friends. One of them is Agnar a Norwegian giant. A linebacker and fucking good at his job. If he gets you, be sure that he will turn off your lights. And he is a great friend. One of those boys that you can talk to about everything and will help you no matter in how much shit you are. He is also the one person I turn to when I have problems with Corey. Agnar listens to you and keeps it without spreading it. Which makes him my second best friend after Corey.

Our youngest is Minhyunk. This guy is literally good at everything. We call him the golden boy and he's a bit shy and timid at first, but once he warms up to you, he teases you and likes to joke around a lot.

Rjabow, as the name says, is a Russian boy. Born and raised in America but still speaks with a Russian accent and we all know this fucker just does it for the girls. And as stereotypical as it sounds he drinks vodka like water. Rjabow is our big brother, always there to protect us and give us advises that lead to trouble most of the time. 

We've got us some burgers and some mixed shit to drink that Rjabow bought. It tastes good but I will probably regret it tomorrow. We sit away from the others on the left side of the bleachers which is right next to the parking lot. Min and Agnar were talking about some biology project for the past minutes. Apparently they both have some lazy project partners and have to do the work on their own. Which reminds me that Corey and I are partners in an English project and that I am left with all the work.

I don't feel like talking to the other boys because every now and then I feel their pitying eyes on me. As if he is only my friend. So I decide to join one of the other groups that aren't so focused on my problems. The new twins Ethan and Grayson sit a bit away from all the other groups as well. They're alone so maybe they don't mind me to join them.

I mumble a 'hey' and watch for signs of disturbance but they show none. They smile and Ethan invites me to sit next to him. I let them finish what they were talking about when I interrupted them. It was something about their sisters birthday. After they finish they both put their focus on me and shower me with compliments about my performance on today's game.

I'm constantly showered with compliments but usually by some girls that want to get in my pants or some boys that fake them to become popular through me but I can tell that theirs are genuine. I can feel my face heat up after their compliments which makes them laugh lightly. But again their laugh doesn't sound mocking. They actually seem nice, I don't know what Corey's problem is with them.

Some other boys join in on our conversation about the next game. After some time talking about the tactics I drift of feeling tired. I look down to Agnar who assured me that he will take me home after our small get together. He doesn't seem tired though or even close to being ready to leave so I guess I'll just walk home. I was about to stand up when I feel Ethan's hand on mine.

"Where are you going?", he asks me. I sit back down and turn to him.

"Home. I am a bit tired. It was a long day."

"You can't drive drunk though, Aaron.", he says. I can hear the concern in his voice. Which is a bit surprising since he doesn't know me.

"No, I'll walk home."

"Let me take you home?", he asks. And I agree even though it feels strange to take that offer from someone still new and foreign to me.

I walk down the stairs and wait for him to get the keys from Grayson. He comes down and we walk together to the parking lot. We are both silent while we walk but he keeps on smiling and it makes me feel things.

On the way home, he turns on the radio and the new song of Sam Smith is playing. He sings along quietly and smiles at me encouragingly, after a small hesitation I join in. It's strange how easy I get along with him. It might be the shit Rjabow made us drink. But who knows, maybe he is special. Maybe he is the one, who can take my thoughts away from Corey.

Two songs later Ethan parks in front of our driveway. Dad's car is parking in its usual place and our house is shining bright with lights. So everyone is home and I'm a bit tipsy. Since I feel good and I can take drinks pretty well, my only problem would be if my stepmom decides to sniff on me. This woman has a nose of a dog. But not literally. She's a pretty woman and the mom of my little stepsisters.

After my mom died of suicide I have been alone with dad for eight years. She killed herself when I was two. She had a mental problem but she never bothered to tell anyone and without professional help, she dragged herself deeper into her self-created hell and ended it when it became too much. It didn't change a lot of my childhood. My father put his focus completely on me, I was his everything, showered with attention that I didn't even ask why there isn't a mom or a second parent. When I was ten my father introduced me to his new girlfriend. And she always treated me as her own child. Not only with the basic parenting like feeding or keeping the child clean but with cuddles, support and genuine love. And that's why I call her mom and why she deserves the term.

He turns to me and tickles my stomach with a finger to get me to focus on him.

"We're here, Aaron."

I nod and mumble a quiet 'yeah'. I was about to open the door and leave but I pause.

"Thanks for driving me home, Ethan. I really appreciate it."

Ethan nods and offers one of his nice smiles. I open the door and walk a few steps to the house when he calls me back. A bit confused I walk up to his open window. I did not get the chance to ask him anything because he instantly leans in and drops a soft kiss on my cheek. Now I'm even more confused.

"You need to figure out a lot of things for yourself, Aaron.", he says and leans in again, he kisses my other cheek this time.

I watch him drive off and turn around to go inside. Mom and dad are in the living room watching some cheesy movie. That's their way to cool off after a busy day. I leave them to it and run up the stairs to the bathroom. I take a quick shower not wanting to stay longer than necessary. You always have the biggest thoughts in the shower. I just genuinely don't want to think about Ethan's 'advice'.

I take a clean towel, wrap it around my waist and leave the bathroom to finally enter my safe haven. I can't wait to lay down on my bed.

I walk into my room and instantly go to my wardrobe to put on clean boxers. When I turn around to lay down and sleep, I see Corey already sleeping there. I sigh. He probably had a fight with Alex again. But since I'm tired and sick of this day I just push him gently to the wall and lay on the free side. I cover myself up and close my eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Aaron's POV

I wake up to Corey hovering over me. His point finger is lazily moving all around my face and he's smiling down at me. The left side of his face still has the imprints of his pillow. So he wasn't staring too long at me, he seems to be awake for a short while.

 

"Are you serious?", I ask him.

 

"Uhh. Didn't you sleep well? Why are you so moody in the morning babe?"

 

"Because it's just morning and you're already all in my face.", I answer while I stand up to use the bathroom. He follows right behind me and takes his toothbrush to wash his teeth while I release my pressured bladder. Corey has kind of lived here before he got with Alex. He always had 'communication problems' with his parents so I gave him a key and he knew that every time he felt bad, he is welcomed in our house.

 

I finish and flush the toilet. Corey finishes his business on the sink as well and we trade places. I wash my hands and prepare my toothbrush but before I continue to clean my teeth I need to know why Corey ended up in my bed yesterday.

 

"What happened with you and Alex?", I ask him.

 

He looks up at me before he too flushes the toilet and moves to the sink. I make space for him and he washes his hands, he then sits down on the edge of the bathtub.

 

"She kind of cheated on me?"

 

Kind of? What the fuck is a kind of cheating? I look questionably at him before I spit the remains of my toothpaste into the sink.

 

"What do you mean 'kind of'?", I ask while I sit next to him.

 

"She fucked Harry Style's the last time we had a fight. Technically we weren't together but it still hurts and she hasn't thought that it is necessary for her to ask me for forgiveness or tell me that it was a mistake."

 

It's hard to see my best friend hurt. It makes a fire burn inside my stomach, one that doesn't feel good. So I slide closer to him and lay an arm around his middle. I press a kiss on his shoulder before I lean my forehead on it.

 

"I don't want to say I told you so because in general, I don't think highly of her. I want to see you happy though, so if you think that this little gremlin that looks like one of these girls from pretty little liars is necessary for it, then please go on and find a way to work it out."

 

I hear him laugh about my answer before he kisses the top of my head. He then stands up with an amusing smile on his face.

 

"When was the last time we both took a bath together?"

 

I laugh at his question because I still remember the bubble baths we took as kids. But we didn't stop at 10, we continued to have bubble baths together and the last time was when we were 15 I think. Now we usually just shower together since we don't have time for something like that anymore.

 

"Four or five years ago, I think. Why, do you want to do it again?"

 

He nods.

 

"Well, we don't have time Corey. We have to be in school in one hour."

 

"Or we could skip?", he asks in a way in which he already reveals his opinion on it. He will not go.

 

We will not get into trouble if we skip one day? Not at school at least.

 

"We need to go to football practice though.", I say.

 

"Yeah, I know.", he agrees while sniffling on one of the bathing oils that I got from my aunt for Christmas. I never used one of it. I'm just not into the feminine smell of it. Especially not into the one in the red bottle with red roses on. I somehow always get feminine stuff from her and she always asks me where my boyfriend is. She has assumed that Corey is my boyfriend since I'm 11. And she even decided for herself to tell me how to have gay sex at 16 and to tell me that I need to use a condom even though I can't get pregnant. I still don't get it why she thinks that I'm gay and much less why she thinks that I would be the one taking it up my butt.

 

Corey turns the water on and tries to bring it to the right temperature while I take off my boxers and sit on the toilet cover.

 

I watch him nod to himself apparently satisfied with the temperature and again sniff on the oils. He decides on the yellow one, which has the vanilla flavour and puts an amount of it in. When Corey's done, he puts back the bottle and knees himself down in front of the bathtub. He uses his hand to mix the oil into the water while he lays his head on the other arm that is placed on the edge of the tub. Corey seems to be in a different world I find out after watching him for some time. His focus is all sat at one point while his hand makes the same movements.

 

I leave him to it and stand up to rearrange my bed hair. It has grown pretty long, I probably should get a haircut soon. I start to arrange the strands on one side and use some water to fix it when I hear him mumble something behind him.

 

"I remember the last time we had a bath together. We played basketball in the backyard. My mom thought it would be fun if I spent some time with my brothers, so we had to include them. The game ended pretty soon tough. I remember them cheating and my temper getting the best of me. I ended up shoving Scott to the ground and getting some hits on him before he turned us around and beat the shit out of me. You've instantly tried to part us but it didn't work out so you ran to get my mom. You've cried because you were worried about me. That day I saw you in a different light. You were my best friend before but this day I could see how much you love me and how much you care about me."

 

I stay silent while he talks. The only thing to be heard when he stops telling the nostalgic story is the running water.

 

"We were in the hospital and even after your dad came to get you, you stayed. You have clung to my hand until it turned blue but I didn't mind. You have been and I have a feeling that you will always be, the person I felt the safest with."

I smile and turn to him to see if he's alright because his voice broke on his last words. He looks back at me with a smile before he stands up and crushes me into a long hug. I hug him back tightly until I feel him push me away gently. He still smiles at me and I can see a few tears in his eyes. 

"You know that I love you?", he asks me and takes my head in his hands. I receive two kisses on the lips and Corey rubs his nose against mine in an eskimo kiss before he moves away and tells me that the water is ready. I nod and enter the tub on one side and try to leave enough space for him to enter. Now that is a problem we both didn't consider. We've grown a lot since we had our last bath together. Corey tries to enter the tub on the other side but our legs get in the way. We try to rearrange our legs in different ways but it still doesn't work, not for us and not for my bathroom since we spill the water in all directions. 

After we stop laughing about our current position Corey looks at me as if he has figured out every problem in the world.

"Aaron sit back down on your first position." 

I nod and turn myself, so I end up leaning on the tub and having my legs stretched out. 

"Now spread your legs babe.", he instructs and I can't help but laugh. I still follow his instructions and open up my legs. Corey than pushes them further apart before he places himself in the middle and scoots over to lean back on me. 

"Okay that's better. Now be a good boyfriend and lay your arms around me." I laugh again and do what he says. Corey lets out a sigh and lays his head on my shoulder. 

"It would be so much easier for us to be gay. I would instantly marry you. I mean, I know you love. I know you would never hurt me and I know how much you care for me." I smile at his mumbling and leave a kiss on his shoulder. 

"Yeah well. We already have the approval of my aunt." 

Corey breaks out laughing and I join him. 

"Maybe we should pretend to be boyfriends the next time she's around?", he suggests.

"No. I don't want to have another gay sex instruction."

Corey laughs again and I can feel him shake from laughing so hard which makes me smile. 

"We will just tell her that it's not necessary. We know how it works.", Corey says. 

I laugh and look down at him before I ask. 

"Oh, is that so?" 

He nods while smiling at me mischievously. And before I realize where his hand is going I feel it on my cock. I instantly leap up and try to move his hand out of reach I get a hold of his hand and I stuck it to his chest with a hard grip. But he continues to grind his ass on my private area. I push him off, hard but still careful not to hurt him and get out of the bathtub. 

"Okay. I now know why we always had separate baths.", I say but still with a smile on my face. I know he's just joking and that he tends to take it too far sometimes. I'm never mad at him, no matter what he does so I just grab a towel and go back to my room. 

I hear him yelling a 'come back, I'll even give you a blowjob' while I dry myself off. And again I ask myself why we work out as friends.


	6. Chapter 6

Our morning bath is now a week ago. So far I've just seen Corey at football practice and during class. I've seen him run around some girls in the lunch breaks and drive off with them after school. We haven't been up to anything last weekend and not during the week. 'He's going to some rough times', were all these poor reassurances that I got from our friends. I just can't believe his actions. Why would he rather go after some girls to forget, when he can come to me to make him feel better. We always used the other one as a shoulder to lean on when one of us felt bad.

Today is Friday. We have a game tonight against the best team in the region, so coach makes us come early in the morning to get over some of the plays we had practiced the past week. So far three of our players are missing. Two of them had an injury and the other one is Corey. His dad asked me if he did spend last night over at mine and I denied. After he told me that Corey wasn't at home either I started to panic. I run to the locker rooms to get my phone. After dialing his number I hit call. He answered that he is running late and that he overslept. Before I could ask him where he is, he ends the call. I put my phone back into my bag and run back to the training grounds.

"Did he answer your call?"

I look behind me to see coach standing there.

"He did. He's running late."

His face turns into an angry scowl.

"Tell him not to bother to come. Ethan will play tonight."

Even though I'm pissed at Corey, it still makes me sad to know that he won't take this message lightly. Football is everything to him. Especially because his dad is the coach.

"I'm sorry, coach. I don't want to talk back but that's a bit too harsh on him."

His face softens a bit even though he's still angry and looks disappointed.

"Aaron, I know that you're his best friend and that you care for him. But for me, this is more than just some high school football. It's my job to choose the best player for each position. Ethan is better than him. I still gave Corey the chance to show me that he is the better quarterback. He failed in every practice but I still wanted to let him play tonight. And again he failed. Corey can either try for a different position, or he can play if Ethan ends up with an injury."

I nod because I know that he is right. It's his job. Even though I can't agree on Ethan being better than Corey.

Just when I'm about to turn around and run to Agnar to work on some plays for tonight, I run into Corey.

I'm about to apologize for running into him but I get shoved away from him and land on my butt. It's not like I expected my best friend to push me for no fucking reason.

"What is wrong with you man?", I hear some of the guys asking Corey.

By the time someone helped me up, there was already a circle build around us.

But Corey's eyes are still on me.

"Are you happy now? You can play with your new lover, now that I'm out."

I can't believe that this came out of my best friends mouth.

"What are you talking about, Corey?", I try to close the distance between us but he shoves me away again.

"Are you serious? You spend the entire week with him up your arse and now he gets to take over my position. What else? Have you already given him your house keys. And dad maybe you should adopt him. You're clearly done with me now. What a shame I am for the Walker family!", he starts to shout around and everyone is too stunt to even bring out a word. That is until coach Walker pushes himself through the circle just to slap Corey in front of everyone.

"You did this to yourself. It has nothing to do with how you play but with this attitude of yours.", he stops and looks at Corey who already has angry tears filling his eyes. "Go home. We'll talk about this later."

And Corey does, he turn around and goes. I try to go after him but Agnar holds me back and tells me to give him some time.

I did spend a lot of time with Ethan and his brother this week but only because Corey always told me he's busy.

Coach told us to go and shower before class and we all headed for the lockerrooms. I sit down after I shower and change. Everyone else leaves to meet up with their girlfriends or friends before class.

Ethan sits next to me and waits for the last two to leave before he talks.

"I'm sorry about what just happened with Corey. I didn't want to take your time with him and much less his position in the team. I hope you guys will be alright."

He actually looks sad and guilty even though he has nothing to do with mine and Corey's situation.

I smile at him.

"It's not your fault. I don't even know what happened. He never talked to me like that."

"Just go and talk to him after the game tonight."

We end up winning tonight and coach poses proudly next to me and Ethan for the local newspapers. I can't believe how easy it was to win tonight even after today's drama with our old quarterback. Ethan just makes it too easy for me to catch the balls and run for a touchdown. Which made me realize how good he is. And that he is, in fact, better than Corey. I would never say that out loud though.

The boys decided to go to a local bar that is mostly used by teenagers, to celebrate the win against our rivals. Coach Walker even wants to buy everyone a beer for the good performance in tonight's game. Alcohol-free, of course.

But it feels strange to go there and celebrate when I know that my best friend is at home and feels horrible.

So I go home because I can't face Corey. I can't take a second rejection of him today. The one from this morning still hurts.

_________________

I watch the new episode of AHS before I lay down to sleep. I usually don't go to bed early but today was just too tiring to stay up and watch other series. And it's not the same without Corey. He always makes funny remarks and gets into the movie far too much but that's how he is. I remember the night in which we watched the new fantastic four movie. The movie wasn't that good but he was comparing the friendship between Ben Grimm and Reed Richards with ours. Corey promised me to always be there for me. To make sure that I'm the first one to know if something is wrong or right with him. And to go with me to the end of the world and back, to love me the way I am. To search for me if I disappear. He even said that he would go after me if I die. I made him take it back. I could never go in peace knowing that he would do something bad to himself. Getting through all these good memories in my head makes it even harder to understand what actually happened today. Why did he hurt me like that? And why didn't he try to apologize to me? It makes me actually believe that everything is my fault. But I don't understand what I did wrong.

I take my phone from under my pillow and call his number. But he doesn't answer.

I give up. I'll just talk to him tomorrow or Monday.


	7. Chapter 7

I didn't see a lot of my former best friend. Corey didn't choose to play in a different position and Ethan was officially our new quarterback. 

I was devastated after just one week in which I didn't speak to him. I couldn't sleep properly and I spend all my time in bed. I felt horrible without him. And it scared me. 

I still didn't want to be the one to give in. It was always me who was careful to never hurt him, in any way! But if he hurt me, I was the one to apologize. I'll leave that to him this time. 

 

I really hope that he'll apologize. 

...

I put all my concentration into football. My team was good, but good wasn't enough to get me to the European leagues. I would be satisfied to play for an American team like LA Galaxy. But I want to play for my favorite team. FC Liverpool. I've been a supporter of them since they've won the Champions League in 2005. Dad was switching the channels back then and he stopped on a sports channel. They were showing the highlights of the game and I was impressed as they came back after a loss of 3-0 in the first half and won the title. After I saw how powerful this game was and how much it means to a lot of people around the world, it became my passion as well. 

Dad thought it was just a game and he was sure I would give up on it. He wanted me to play in my high school's football team. He said that while there is a future for me in American football, I will never play good enough for a European football team. It never made me lose hope though. And I know Dad just said it because he wants me to continue a family tradition. My Granddad and he were one of the best players in the local high school teams. So that's why I joined the team as well. But my heart is somewhere else. And I put much more effort into football than American football. 

We won today's game. I scored two goals and assisted one. Coach took me aside at the end of the game to tell me that there are good news for me, but he wasn't allowed to tell me until the next week. I hoped for the best but I'm scared to imagine what it could be. It wouldn't be the first time that I set my hopes too high. 

I went to the changing room and showered. Ethan told me that he would drive me home if I give him a quick call and I'm grateful for it. It's two months now since the Dolan Twins moved here. And we spend a lot of time together, especially since my fight with Corey. Ethan is nice and he seems to care a lot for his friends. We got into a lot of deep conversations. He's frank and cheery even after all the things he's gone through with his brother. And even though I don't know them as much as I know my other friends. I care for them. Especially Ethan. And I don't want anyone to hurt him.

I leave the locker rooms and go to the parking lot just to see Ethan already standing there even though I didn't even call him. 

"Hey. Sorry, how long have you been waiting here?", I ask him.

He smiles at my question and walks up to me. Ethan wears dark jeans and a thin sports jacket. He usually wears simple clothing but it looks good on him. His new hairstyle fits him better as well. He cut them short last week and it brings out his face even more. Ethan is quite handsome for a man. 

"I actually stayed to watch the game after I drove you here. I hope you don't mind?", he answers and takes my bag. Ethan looks at me, trying to figure out if it was alright with me. And I couldn't help but answer with an honest and bright smile. I can't believe he wasted his time to watch me play. Corey never did, even as my best friend. He used to say that it was boring watching the real players on TV so he didn't want to see the amateur teams. It hurt me a lot back then, to hear that coming from him. 

"No, of course, I don't mind. Did you enjoy the game?", I asked him hopefully. 

"Yes, I did. You're really good. You got yourself quite a fanbase there. I might join them."

I laughed because I can see him standing there every game chanting my name. And I would like that. So I said it. 

"Your support would mean a lot to me."

Ethan smiles and gazes at me. I follow his eyes as they move from my eyes down to my lips. My heart starts to pound nervously and my hands shake. If he didn't take my bag I'm sure that I would've dropped it. I watch him as he lifts his hand to my cheek. He tries to study my next moves by moving his eyes back to mine. But I don't know what to do! I know where this leads next, but I've never kissed someone apart from Corey. And my shared kisses with Corey are different than this now. All I know is that I want it. I want to kiss him. So I close my eyes and move closer to him. Ethan drops my bag which startles me and I open my eyes again. I was sure that I misunderstood the situation and he wanted me to get back from my high by dropping my bag, so I move away from him. But he pulls me back to him by my waist and lets his hand stay there. Ethan lays his other hand back on my cheek and leans in. He leans his forehead on mine and whispers.

"Can I kiss you?" 

I nod and he smiles before he presses his lips softly on mine. It lasts three seconds before Ethan moves away to see my reaction. He caresses my cheek with his thumb before he leans in again to capture his lips with mine. And I kiss him back. But it doesn't last long. Ethan is harshly pulled away from me and the first thing that I see when I open my eyes is how Corey punches him.

I grab Corey by his shoulders and pull him back. 

"Why did you do that, you idiot?", I yell and him and push him as hard as I can. He falls on his ass and stares at me outraged before he starts laughing. 

"Oh, did I interrupt your date?", he asks before getting up. 

I move away from him and go to Ethan. He assures that he's fine when I ask him if he's alright and he smiles at me after I apologize for getting him into this.

"Wow. This guy seems to be more important to you than your best friend", he laughs sarcastically before he continues. 

"You push me and all you care is about his well being."

Corey laughs it off but I can see that he is hurt. So I tell Ethan to go and wait in his car. And he does after he asks me if I'll be alright. I nod and he leaves.

I move closer to Corey but he moves away from me.

"I'm sorry I pushed you." 

I try to move closer to him again and this time he stays where he is. But I don't want to be too close, so I stay a meter away from him.

"You hurt me too, remember?"

He nods. 

"I get it that you're frustrated. It hurts so much to be away from you for more than a week. But Ethan has nothing to do with this." 

This time he shakes his head. 

"He does. He stole my place in the football team and he took you away from me, Aaron!", he yells back at me. 

What is he talking about?

"What are you talking about, Corey?", I ask him. 

"You spend all your time with him. You literally kissed him just ten minutes ago."

I laugh softly at his childish jealousy. I close the distance between uns and pull him by his arms to me. Corey hugs me back tightly and I gently caress his back with one of my hands. 

"You are my best friend, Corey. No one can compete with you. But I think I like Ethan as well, just differently?", I answer but it sounds more like a question. 

He pulls back but still keeps me close, he searches for something in my eyes. 

"In a gay way?", he asks. 

I nod and he smiles before surprising me by grabbing my crotch. 

I jump back looking at him bewildered but he just laughs at me. 

"That's why you always had a boner while we cuddled.", Corey teases me.

He continues to laugh after I punch his arm playfully. Corey engulfs me back in his arms and kisses the side of my neck. 

"Let's go home, I couldn't sleep without you by my side.", he jokes. 

But there is also truth in it, he really looks restless. So I move out of his arms and go to tell Ethan that I'll drive home with Corey. I also apologized that I let him wait and somehow ended up to ask him out on a date. He said yes. 

We drove back to my place and decided to just get some sleep without watching a movie or series. I guess we were both unable to sleep without the other so we just took off our clothes and huddled together under the blankets. He spooned me from behind and kissed my shoulder before cracking his new favorite joke.

"Don't get a boner." 

\----

I didn't tell him that I woke up the next day with his morning wood rubbing on my ass.


End file.
